Malediction
by Coka Cookie Cola
Summary: (Sequel to Metamorphosis) Yusei and Akiza's peaceful life is interrupted by calamity - of which an ancient form of magic threatens to destroy everything that they've built for one another. The threat of this ancient curse falls upon a loved one and Yusei struggles to find a solution... Will they achieve a happy ending or will the curse live forever?
1. Prologue: Uncover

**I think I'm ready to do this sequel thing again. And believe it or not, I'm actually going to go through with it this time. Before, inspiration failed to come to me (as well as the planning for each chapter) and I was too lazy to even continue on with it. But not this time! **

**I am so sorry for putting you through the promises I made before; this time, I will prove that this sequel means a lot to me!**

**Malediction**

**Prologue: Uncover**

"Tell me if you find anything, Kanji!" An amused, and feminine, voice called out.

Emerald eyes gazed over to the woman's direction, before the man scoffed in disdain. He couldn't believe that out of all the people he had to accompany with on this trip, it had to be Ayumi Furukawa. Out of all the archaeologists in Japan, Ayumi was fairly good at what she did. But contradicting her good work, she also had the tendency to boss others around recklessly as well as her womanly sense of humour remaining intact. Every other man couldn't help but fall to her charms though – she had exotic midnight onyx hair that ran like a river down her back in soft tousles. Her eyes were a light shade of chestnut and were usually filled with 'good-natured humour' (as she liked to put it). Needless to say, Ayumi used her sex appeal to get what she wanted. That is, if no one listened to her casual charm and demeanour.

"Unlike you, I'm actually doing something useful over here!" Kanji yelled back, as he kneeled down to the ground – completely focused on the task at hand.

He had been told by his employer that there was something lying underneath this site… Though this was in South America, Kanji had also been told that he'd be paid big money to fly out here to uncover this artefact. All he knew was that this artefact had been coveted for centuries; Kanji himself was not superstitious by any means and did not believe in any fairy tales. He was professional and liked to observe the world around him with a logical mind. You could say that he would only believe in 'hocus pocus' when he saw it.

"Are you kidding? I'm contributing plenty!" Ayumi snorted in response.

"You better not say that you're scared and you want to go home. I ain't got no time for that," Kanji sighed, as he used he used one of his tools – a shovel to be more precise – to begin digging into the dirt.

Ayumi raised an eyebrow, as she crossed her petite arms. "Of this magical object supposedly cursing this ancient city for thousands of years? Highly unlikely."

"Are you kidding me? Every time we go on an expedition, you always ask me if there are going to be spiders." Spiders, of all shapes and sizes, were what Ayumi had been scared of the most. To Kanji, he thought it was amusing each time Ayumi screamed in fright as though the spider – as tiny as it may be – were going to kill her. So much for being brave and courageous.

"It's a rational fear, thank you very much," Ayumi turned her head around, seeing nothing but complete darkness underneath one of the archaic temples.

"Define rational."

"You are such an asshole."

"And you are such a drama queen."

Neither one of the archaeologists noticed an ominous presence laying dormant underneath them… a presence that could very much change their minds about magic altogether…

**:3 :3 :3**

_Legend had it that there was a priestess that guarded these temple walls… they say that she was as beautiful as she was kind and generous to her people. They say that her compassion had been her downfall…_

_She had been born with a cursed mark; she had spent years suffering from that very mark that inflicted agony to others, though she had learned to control it. _

_But she did not know that it controlled her… the darkness that lay dormant in the mark opened. _

_This priestess had possessed magic that was forbidden: it was dark and evil… death was inevitable to those who were exposed to this magic. _

_For someone who had spent much of her life helping people, she had been compromised. _

_She thought she had been betrayed by those who called her as one of their own. They had turned on her easily…they trusted her no more…_

_She did not know what her fate was…_

_From that moment on, she was labelled as a witch…_

**:3 :3 :3**

Two hours since the argument between man and woman had passed; needless to say, nothing had been accomplished. Much to Ayumi's chagrin and Kanji's frustration. After all, not only was it a five o'clock in the morning type job, which was frequent for them, it was one of those diggings that seemed to have come up empty. So much for a precious object hidden in the Earth's crust that held powers that no one could hope to possess; it was all a myth.

But hey – at least Kanji and Ayumi were going to get a pretty big pay check nonetheless for their services. Money was everything these days.

"So this object of great importance is not even real?" Ayumi laughed disdainfully, as she stretched her poor leg muscles. She would have sat on the ground, but her pampered up-bringing alter-ego refused the possibility of getting her clothes dirty. It made you wonder why Ayumi even became an archaeologist.

"Disappointed?" Kanji smirked, wiping his forehead of grime and sweat that followed after two hours of hard shovelling. Nothing, of course, had been buried underneath. It was at the point when Kanji thought to himself that he would quit.

"Unlike you, I take facts seriously."

"Honey, what makes you think that this object is even real? Considering you've believed in magic since when… two years old?"

Ayumi threw him a cold glare, tensing in discomfort. "You don't have to act like such a jerk."

Kanji winked in her direction, causing her to roll her eyes. They had known each other since they were in university, but they always seemed to have this rivalry going on between them. People thought they were in love, as they fought like cats and dogs nearly all of the time. Love was for children.

Then a burst of cold air had caused Ayumi to pause… and a dark feeling started to cloud her judgment; for some reason, Ayumi thought that something terrible was about to occur... "Something wrong?" Kanji asked, noting how Ayumi's complexion paled.

Neither one of them knew that they shouldn't have come here.

**:3 :3 :3**

What was the purpose of their visit… were they there to find it? No… they couldn't be… if they had every intention of searching for it, she must interfere…

The spirit's eyes narrowed in suspicion, whilst pursing her cold lips together in a firm, straight line. She had to stop these meddlesome humans; they think they can take what they desire without question. Such foolishness.

Though it was not a bad idea to seek her revenge… after a thousand years of waiting… after a thousand years of death separating her from reality, it was now time to go through with her plan.

The woman seemed to be alarmed of the spirit's presence; she sneered. She could see the fear in the woman's eyes and it was almost like she even recognized her. The man, however, was not as frightened as the other occupant in the room had been.

The spirit's dark mahogany hair clung to her skin, as did her traditional garbs. And of course, her skin was ghastly but not pale as one would want you to believe.

"W-who are you?" The man demanded.

The spirit's composure remained to be cool and calculating. So this person did fear her… though he was trying his best to be strong, there was some hesitance in his movements. She could even hear his heart beat quickly…

The spirit said nothing, but contemplated on the next move…

_**They need to die…**_ had been her first thought, but had decided against it; the woman standing cowardly behind the man seemed to be most useful to the spirit. She needed a body in order to carry out her revenge…

_**Ikite iru niku ni watashi o nage, watashi wa jiyū to watashi no fukushū o tsuikyū suru koto ga dekimasu…**_

Her spell would soon be complete…

Her spirit's eyes turned crimson; filling with rage, as her set of eyes pierced into the woman's with hatred…

Shrieks of pain and agony filled the air…

**:3 :3 :3**

"Dammit. What happened to them?" A man, appearing to be no more than forty years old, ran fingers through his dark brown hair. His clothes appeared to be wrinkled and stress, as well as anger, could clearly be seen within the man's hazelnut eyes.

"We don't know, sir," another man, who had the misfortune of being in his superior's presence, answered – trying to sound calm and collected. But in reality, both men realized that staying calm was out of the question. Not when there were two people missing. When they were on an excavating expedition in South America. All they had to do was to look for one artefact… and now it was gone, as well as the two archaeologists.

But what the hell could have happened? The site itself was in ruins and it appeared as though something had been there…

Nothing was left.

Except one body, which had been incinerated – but what could have been the cause of it? What had enough firepower to the point that the body was completely singed?

Ryouji Daniko looked on with sadness, recognizing the body as Kanji Kokonuro – one of his best archaeologists; he had never ceased to amaze him with the items that he discovered from all across the world. And now he had paid the price. Death.

But where was his other? Ayumi?

Even now Ryouji, who was normally collective and calm to the point where nothing could surprise him, and his personality were taking a complete turn around. Out of all the phone calls he had received in the past week, he didn't think he'd receive one from South America, where the body of Kanji Kokonuro had been discovered.

Ryouji Daniko had one idea in mind how this even happened, but he wasn't even coming close to believing it.

Magic.

Ryouji was just as logical as Kanji and only believed things when he saw them; but even then, denial would occur, but did nothing to manage the situation.

"You think Miss Ayumi had something to do with this, sir?"

Ryouji sighed. "At this point, nothing would surprise me if she did."

**:3 :3 :3**

This world was strange enough… for her eyes.

The spirit glanced in the mirror, completely mesmerized by her appearance; though the woman's body was suitable, there were some faults that could easily be corrected.

It had not been difficult to find the precise location of the woman's dwellings. It only took her five days to reach her destination and she knew that Domino City was the perfect place to hide.

It would not be difficult hiding here; no one would recognize anything out of the ordinary. These foolish humans wouldn't even know what hit them. Corrupt and arrogant creatures that they were…

The lips turned upward into a small smile of delight. Her eyes glowed… Her revenge would soon be completed. She was a thousand year old spirit or – as she would like to call herself – a witch.

How many of those would be around nowadays?

This may be in her best interest to learn about…after she found her crystal…

**:3 :3 :3**

"**Cast me into the living flesh and allow me to pursue freedom and my revenge." This was what the creepy spirit/witch person said in Japanese. But to be honest, I don't know Japanese so I went to Google Translate. Ha. Ha. Anyways, I have been inspired, believe it or not, by Indiana Jones – so the story should come along quite nicely. This story is rated M and there may be some sexy times with Yusei and Akiza. I know – I'm just as perverted as you. XD **

**Please leave a review – I'd love to know what you think, my darlings! :D**


	2. Awaken

**Glad to know that three of you guys checked this story out! ^_^ You guys are the best!**

**I hope you like the first chapter; even if nothing much happens in it. LOL**

**Malediction**

**Chapter 1: Awaken**

Sunlight peered into a cobalt-coated bedroom, through the fiery red curtains and unto two unconscious forms intertwined underneath several blankets.

Why did the sun have to ruin everything? A woman cursed, as her chestnut eyes slowly opened and quickly adjusted to the cheerful light radiating from outside.

But her annoyance faded quickly, as she then realized something was holding her tight. A small, pleased smile grew on her lips as she nestled further into his embrace… She could feel his arm around her waist – holding her protectively and his warmth was seeping through her clothes and into her skin. Her heart skipped a few beats, but remained relatively stable. She placed a hand over on the hand that rested on her skin; their fingers intertwined… it meant that they were one.

"Morning, beautiful," a deep, muscular voice whispered into her ear before she felt a pair of lips caress her neck. Shivers cascaded down her spine, as she then realized that his warm breath would continue to make her feel this way. It was an old trick that always soothed her to the point of relaxation.

"Morning, handsome," Akiza Izinski playfully teased back, using the same tone as seduction as she usually did in the mornings; it so happened that their normal couple routine consisted of temptations of the early morning special (if you know what I mean) but usually 1/5 did the early morning special actually happen.

It was called real life; Akiza had found herself at peace after three years (two years ago, of which she had met her gorgeous boyfriend Yusei Fudo, and other complications had arisen during this time; and one year ago, did their relationship continue to blossom to the next level). She did find herself busy – studying to become a doctor; sure, it would take her eight years or so, but it was her dream to help other people. Though it took years of self-pity, pain and the difference between right and wrong to make her realize that. If it weren't for Yusei, Akiza wouldn't know where she'd be…

"Have a good sleep?" Yusei's sapphire eyes gazed into Akiza's, as he asked her this.

If Yusei had been referring to the fact that Akiza occasionally had nightmares, generally consisting of her time spent with… the man who should not be named… then she wouldn't have to hide anything from him. Although in the first part of their newly developed relationship, which was about a year ago, she started to have nightmares. And she did hide them from Yusei.

"Yeah," Akiza said truthfully; she hadn't had any gruesome dreams about her past for the past (no pun intended) three months. Even if she did have another one, she was glad that Yusei would be by her side; getting ready to comfort her. Just being there for her meant a lot to him.

"I'm glad," Yusei replied, sounding quite relieved. Though Akiza appreciated it when Yusei worried about her, she would much prefer seeing him happy; but maybe it worked both ways.

"What time is it?" Akiza groaned. As much as she wanted to stay in her paradise with Yusei forever, there was nothing that could stop the two of them from going to their prospective duties. Akiza knew she had class today and Yusei had been doing his hardest to work at a mechanic's shop nearby. The pay was good and Yusei knew that he loved what he was doing. Akiza couldn't ask him to do anything else.

"Six fifty," Yusei answered – and just like Akiza, he sounded just as disappointed. Although they weren't the type of couple who couldn't stand being apart for more than two hours, since they knew they could survive on their own, they kind of held a foundation that strengthened them. They had a bond. And it did have something to do with their psychic abilities, Akiza being one and Yusei being a Doom Psychic.

"I guess that means we have to get up," Akiza kissed Yusei's cheek, before she decided to take off to the bathroom. Wearing only one of Yusei's shirts. Yusei couldn't help but stare, knowing that this woman – who had once suffered through countless ordeals – was now happy here to be with him. "And no buts," Akiza interrupted before Yusei could even get a good word in. "You have to work this morning, don't you? Don't forget you have that appointment in the afternoon."

Oh, yes. The appointment. How could Yusei forget about seeing Dr. Nushi – who specialized in the cases of Psychic trauma. At first instinct, Yusei didn't particularly have feelings of like toward him, seeing that his instincts had told him something otherwise. But it wasn't like Yusei could just say no to his girlfriend of three years; he most likely would need help in terms of recollecting his plethora of feelings as well as bettering the control of his unique powers. He knew fully well why he went. Because he was afraid that he would unleash his powers… like he did once before.

"You know damn well why you have to go." If Yusei didn't know any better, he would have thought that Akiza had been fighting tears at that moment.

"Akiza. It is not going to happen again; I'll never hurt you again," Yusei promised.

She gave him a small smile, before she answered with a somewhat relieved tone, "I know you won't. But you also saved me back then. And Mayu."

Mayu, Yusei's twin sister separated at birth, was also a psychic – but did not have as much power as her brother. From what Yusei had been told, Mayu had been searching him for most of her life; which had been one of her goals at the time. There was also one time when he thought she had been double-crossing him, and that feeling of betrayal had hurt him more than he thought it did. But as it turned out, she only tried to protect him and Akiza; which was easier said than done. Now, Mayu's main task was to find the bastard that put Akiza through so much pain. Which had been Sayer. Yusei shook his head, no longer wanting to think about it. His blood boiled each time the man with the wicked, slimy grin appeared in his mind.

"Speaking of, have you heard from her?" Akiza asked curiously, as she took her brush to sort out the knots forming in her magenta hair.

Yusei shook his head, leaning back on the pillows. "No. I haven't gotten a letter from her in a couple of months."

Akiza smirked. "I guess that means good news then."

Somehow, Yusei had a feeling that something was going terribly awry. He did not know what it was, obviously, but he knew better than to go against his instincts. It would not be shocking if Mayu did find him. But it would come as a surprise if something did happen to Mayu. After all, it had been three years since both Akiza and Yusei saw her.

"Yusei? Are you alright?" Akiza saw the gloomy expression and recognized it all too well on Yusei's features.

"I'm fine." Yusei tried his damndest to be convincing, but even Akiza could tell that Yusei was lying. Yet, she didn't call him out on it. Not yet, anyways. But Yusei knew he should expect a conversation about this tonight when they both got back from their lives in the real world. In truth, he didn't know what he should say to her.

"Anyway, I'll see you later," Akiza leaned over their bed and kissed him lovingly on the lips. As much as Yusei wanted to take things further, as the taste of her lips got him begging for more, she pulled away.

**:3 :3 :3**

She could hear the whispers flood her ears the moment that she walked in the room, much to her annoyance. The words of hatred and mockery would never stop, but what was there to do about that? She hated being judged for who she was and she tried her hardest to keep her true identity a secret; because let's face it; Akiza was still uncertain about how her classmates would take it if they learned she was the Black Rose Witch. Akiza, unfortunately, had learned the hard part of it. She did once trust a classmate – who she thought that they could be friends.

In all honesty though, to put it shortly, most of her classmates in all of her classes didn't want to deal with her. Most of them ignored her presence, and really, Akiza was thankful that they were neutral about her; after all, there were some people who talked about her behind her back, as well as the fact that a rare few actually came up to insult her in her face.

Truth was, it hurt: knowing that there were a lot of people that couldn't accept her for what she was. But she did have Yusei by her side; she was confident enough to realize that Yusei would always love her, seeing that he was the only other person who knew what it felt like.

To make things sound like she was an anti-social loner, she had no friends; although, there were a couple of girls who seemed nice to her enough.

"…she looks like she could use a map; this isn't Witchcraft 101," one girl snickered from behind Akiza. She pursed her lips, tensing up in discomfort, while telling herself to simply ignore her.

"Be careful, Aura, she could curse you," another girl warned the person named Aura.

"But seriously, what is she even doing here?"

"I heard she's studying to be a doctor."

"A witch doctor, maybe."

Concentrating on class work, assignments and studying for tests was hard enough for Akiza. But hearing comments like that really made her self-esteem decrease; as well as the familiar anger boiling deep within her. But she knew better than to release it.

"Are you okay?" A feminine voice asked, causing Akiza to look on her right. She would have gasped, but she kept her surprise to herself. She saw concern shining through dark brown eyes and there was no shred of hatred or prejudice within them.

"I guess," Akiza replied, shrugging her shoulders. "I guess I've gotten used to it. Those people talking."

The woman nodded in understanding. "I know what it feels like; to have every door shut in your face."

For Akiza, it had been difficult to get accepted into a school where no one could judge her for who she was. But even so, it didn't mean that there wasn't anyone who did not hate witches. Prejudice existed everywhere; Akiza learned to accept that.

"My name is Ayumi," the woman offered a hand for Akiza to shake.

"Akiza," she offered a gracious smile in return, as she took her hand… It was then when she felt a blast of cold air; truthfully, she also felt a dark, ominous feeling… but Akiza didn't know what to make of it. This woman was friendly enough, but deep, deep, down, Akiza felt reluctant to accept her friendship.

"You are the Black Rose Witch, are you not?"

Akiza answered, though with hesitation, "Yeah, I am." This was one subject she was not prone to talking about with anyone else other than Yusei. If it were up to Akiza, she'd lock her past away and throw out the key; she would rather move on with her life than to dwell on what a monster she had once become.

"I apologize if I have brought up any unpleasantness," Ayumi said quickly.

"No, it's okay. People bring it up all the time and I got used to that."

"If that is the case, then would you mind if I saw your mark? I'm sorry, you don't have to…"

Akiza smiled. "You sound like a fan girl."

The woman blushed in embarrassment. "It's that obvious, huh?"

"Actually, I haven't shown anyone my mark." It wasn't easy to walk in the classroom with her head held high and with a proud stance; if anyone saw her mark, she knew the teasing would continue. But did Akiza actually care what they thought? Even if she revealed her mark? Honestly, she was a little ashamed of it – still – but Yusei did help her to embrace what she was.

Akiza's heart continued to pound against her chest, as she rolled up her glove on her right arm. There it was; the mark that had caused pain and suffering for her and her family. It was this very same mark that had her expelled from her family's home and the very mark that had brought her and Yusei together…

It was at that time when Akiza noticed Ayumi's eyes darken, temporarily, with an emotion that would be similar to delight; only it was the kind of glare that was filled with greed…

The anxious feeling pitted in Akiza's stomach only grew. _You shouldn't trust her, Akiza._ That was what she told herself. Nor should she ever let her guard down.

Something about this woman was not right.

Akiza could feel stares coming from around her and discomfort was another emotion that easily came to her.

"Don't worry about them," Ayumi whispered in her ear. "They are just jealous they do not have a precious gift."

**:3 :3 :3**

**Too soon for any confrontation? I don't know. Besides – it's not like I'm going to torture you guys with cliff hangers. Alright – that's a lie. But still… better this than some stupid filler chapter. XP**

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter: please leave a review, my darlings! I'd love to know what you think!**


	3. Night

**I'm pretty sure that I haven't ripped off any quotes from movies. I know this sounds random as an introduction to this chapter, from yours truly, but it's crossed my mind a couple times. **

**Anyways, this chapter is mainly in Mayu's POV**

**I hope you guys enjoy! ^_^**

**Malediction**

**Chapter 2: Night**

Disappointment. It was an emotion that very much came across her mind every single day; every single moment that someone had told her what she didn't want to hear, that was what she felt. Not only that, but she also felt anger; anger because she still couldn't find the bastard that caused her family so much pain… she also felt guilt – only because she should have killed him in the first place; but what would make her? She wouldn't have been any better than him.

It was getting harder for her to control her emotions; it had been close to three years and she still couldn't find him.

It was frustrating.

Mayu Fudo took another sip of her beer, her second one for the night, and stared blankly at the mahogany table. Her free fingers tapped lightly on the table, while ignoring the immense amount of laughter and talking going on around her. She even tried to ignore the heat and the sweat that started to form on her forehead, but she just found herself wiping her forehead clean of said sweat.

This night was not how she wanted things to go.

But she might as well enjoy the taste of alcohol; it wasn't like she did this often, so she may as well live while she's young.

"Hey sweetheart, why so glum?"

Mayu turned around to face a man, clad in a leather jacket, leather jeans and a lop-sided grin on his face. Ew. She was never one to take notice of anyone hitting on her, seeing that most of the time men like this one had less than graceful intentions. Mayu, fortunately, had learned to handle herself against them pretty well. In fact, taking care of herself was one of the greatest things she was good at.

"Not interested," She stated blandly; but knowing this man, he probably would not back off. Even if there were a whole bunch of women here that he could try pestering instead.

"Come on, baby, you just got to get to know me."

Mayu pursed her lips, appearing to still be unimpressed by this man – whose patience was starting to drastically decrease in moments. She really, truly, did not have the time to put up with this.

"Hey, not to interrupt or anything, but the lady did just tell you to back off." Mayu turned her head to the left, in curiosity, as she saw a memorable face through the crowd of drunks. She widened her eyes, in realization, as her cheeks turned slightly dark rouge and her heartbeat was starting to quicken.

_It couldn't be him, could it?_

As the man stepped closer, Mayu's heart was racing. There was no doubt anymore… It was Kai. Not only did he still have his dark crimson hair, he still had it long and in a ponytail. Not only did he still have those captivating chocolate brown hues, they still had that sparkle whenever he glanced in her direction. Although she didn't recognize him in leather jeans, leather vest and muscle top – something that he never used to wear. As long as Mayu could remember… She also remembered how they used to depend on each other; they were close friends until he left one day and never bothered telling her where he was going. The fact that Mayu had a crush on him broke her heart even more. He was supposed to be there for her when she was searching for her brother. But as it turned out, she couldn't count on anyone but herself.

Mayu narrowed her eyes, trying not to show any emotion; as far as she could tell – Kai was nothing to her anymore.

"Whatever. More good looking pussies in here anyway." The man grumbled, before abruptly leaving to head to the other side of the bar. Without question.

Thus, it left Kai to stare curiously into Mayu's eyes.

No one even spoke for over twenty seconds; Mayu, sure as hell, wouldn't say anything. Why would she even bother talking to him? A plethora of mixed emotions ran through her at that moment. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to slap him or if she wanted to kiss him. But judging that she just established she wanted nothing to do with him, she knew slapping him was the best bet. Or maybe just ignoring him altogether…

She couldn't focus on finding Sayer if Kai was here. She just couldn't afford to let him in her heart again.

"I think a thank you would have sufficed," Kai's eyebrows raised in astonishment, upon learning that Mayu had no intention of breaking the ice.

"And why is that?" Mayu finished off her beer in less than ten seconds. She continued to stare coldly into Kai's eyes, silently refusing to fall for them again.

"Last time I checked, sweetheart, I just saved your life."

This was definitely Kai; the very same guy that had the cocky attitude, but not overly arrogant. Heck, Mayu once thought that he was honest and modest. She should have told herself that he wasn't worth it.

"Oh really? What made you think I needed saving?" Mayu inquired coolly. She wasn't the damsel in distress; she was the other descendant to the Doom Psychics. She was someone that could only rely on herself; she was strong and independent.

It didn't help matters at all that Kai suddenly took a seat next to her; she didn't bother to protest because he would never have listened to her anyway. At least he wasn't drinking, Mayu pondered to herself – noting that he didn't reek of alcohol. Not that she would have cared to admit that she was concerned. She wasn't. Not anymore.

"What kind of a greeting is this? I thought you'd be happy to see me."

Mayu gave Kai nothing but a cold glare, saying everything from her. She thought she would have been delighted to see him but in reality, she wasn't.

"You left me, Kai," Mayu replied, after several minutes of silence.

It was Kai's turn to remain speechless; it looked like he was going to say something to her, but after keeping his mouth shut, Mayu now knew that it wasn't anything of importance. The playful sparkle in his eyes were gone – and replaced with seriousness. "I had no choice."

Somehow, that response didn't sit too well with Mayu. From what she believed, everyone had a choice whether or not to do something. How could Kai say that to her face? Did he honestly think he could withhold the truth from her? She shouldn't even give a damn about it, but deep within her heart, she did.

"Like hell." Mayu crossed her arms, while shaking her head in denial. "I don't believe that."

"You don't have to believe anything; in fact, I'm the one that came back to find you." Mayu could have chosen not to believe him, but as she gazed into his eyes, she could see the truth in them.

But who said she was going to say that she did?

"I'm sorry Kai, but I'm a little preoccupied." She only wanted to find Sayer; the psychotic monster who practically hunted down psychics to steal their powers… he escaped. He dared to hurt her future sister-in-law, as well as herself, and Yusei was even in the crossfire. She still couldn't forget what happened those years ago, and honestly, she felt like it happened yesterday.

"With finding Sayer?"

_How does he even know… who he is?_ Was the first thought that popped into Mayu's brain the moment Kai answered her. "What do you know?" Mayu demanded.

"You're not the only psychic around with special abilities." That's right – Kai was psychic, but he wasn't descended from the Doom Psychics. He was fairly powerful, she had to admit, but last time she checked – he didn't have any abilities that particularly stood out. In fact, both Akiza and Kai were similar… maybe a little too similar.

"Will you just tell me?"

"All I know is that Sayer has been laying low for a while."

Mayu snorted sarcastically. Kai ignored that, before continuing, "However, all I know for certain is that he's done trying to get Psychic powers."

Mayu furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?" What could any of this mean? If Kai was telling the truth, and of which she had no doubt, then it would mean Sayer was done kidnapping defenceless Psychics. It would mean that Sayer was on to something else… but what was he up to now?

"Psychics aren't even on his radar anymore. At least, the civilian population." _Innocent people trying to hide from this…_

"What is he even up to?"

"I don't even know that. I also know that he went to South America recently."

What could be there in South America, waiting for Sayer?

"There's been talk that someone discovered Madura."

Mayu's heart nearly stopped beating altogether, as her mind struggled to process this piece of information… _Madura…how is this even possible?_

Legend had it that Madura was the most powerful priestess on the Western continents; she was also a Doom Psychic… There had been rumours that she was the start of the bloodline, but no one was even certain. All what anyone really knew of her was that she was labelled as a witch and she had been killed for her indiscretions. Even though she had helped people…

"So… someone found her remains?" Mayu couldn't imagine what would happen if someone – especially Sayer – had their hands on Madura's bones…

"I know that two people were there at the site, but, something weird happened," Kei shrugged his shoulders. "One of the archaeologists went missing and the other one is dead." The sparkle in Kei's eyes had asked her another question: did she know what this meant? The underlying message from his eyes told her that Madura's spirit… came back. But how was it even possible? No one knew the circumstances of her death, much less the rest of her story.

"Madura has returned, Mayu."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"**We** are going on a road trip."

"No."

"Come on, Mayu; I told you all what I know."

"So you need my help? Is that it?"

"Am I that hopeless?"

"Apparently."

**:3 :3 :3**

Though her brother had no idea, Mayu had been living in Domino City for the past year – mainly because her hope of finding Sayer had started to decrease, albeit slowly. In all honesty though, she liked the city better than she ever did the Satellite: no one knew who she was here, no one knew of her powers – therefore, her life was perfect. Okay, maybe not perfect, but she could describe it as decent.

At least she lived in a safe neighbourhood; pg-rated, family friendly and all sunshine and rainbows. Well, at least one of those things was actually true. Her apartment was not the flashiest or the biggest, but it was home.

But of course she should have expected her so called 'partner in crime' to judge her on her lifestyle since he was gone. Not that Mayu had lived to please him or anything.

"What do you think you're doing?" Mayu narrowed her eyes, not entirely feeling comfortable with the idea of Kai lying down on her bed.

"Relaxing; something that you should be trying out every once in a while," Kai snorted, as his hands went to cover the back of his head. It was so typical of Kai to think he could just make himself at home wherever he wanted. But in reality, she knew how much of an outcast he once was; like Mayu, Kai was once ridiculed for who they were in the Satellite – where Mayu had met Kai.

"We're supposed to pack. We're going to South America, remember?" Mayu prodded, as she tossed some of her clothes on her bed.

"Why don't you come join me, Princess? Maybe then you won't be so uptight."

Mayu was about this close to throwing one of her boots at his face; although it would be satisfying to do so, it wouldn't help her get to South America – where was a slight chance of Sayer residing there. Of course she couldn't completely take all of Kai's word for it; it was hard for her to start 'trusting' him again. Now that he had come back, she reacted in different ways.

"Please do not call me Princess. And if you actually do want me to relax, please help me pack."

"You never really told me why you're giving me the cold treatment." Kai, whose nature of course was to act sarcastic, was short-lived, as his eyes were glaring in Mayu's direction. "I thought we were friends."

"And you never really told me why you left me in the first place," Mayu sighed, as she gazed back into Kai's eyes; not with hatred, but with curiosity and sadness.

"I can't tell you."

And there it goes again; secrecy. What sort of secret was Kai trying to hide? Why can he not tell her why he left? He should have given her something as closure, and then Mayu wouldn't have had to deal with pain for a long while. She had enough trouble finding her own twin brother.

Mayu pursed her lips, as she tried to search for words to say. "For my own good, right?" Kai had once been her sole protector, back in the day.

"Believe it or not, it was for your own good."

"But now you're back."

"And I plan to keep it that way."

**:3 :3 :3**

**I apologize for the lack of Akiza and Yusei in this chapter; but you will see them next chapter – I promise!**

**And I also apologize for not updating as quickly as I should have.**


	4. Destiny

**Half of this chapter contains Faithshipping and the other half… contains Sayer. I know; you don't have to pretend to cheer. XD I hope you guys enjoy!**

**Malediction**

**Chapter 3: Destiny**

Why was it that Akiza had a bad feeling that something was going to happen? Especially when she had a good life with Yusei right now; sometimes, she wished that her Psychic powers were less subtle about things. Heck, altogether, her powers weren't even wanted half the time. But if it weren't for them, then she wouldn't be with Yusei right now. And she'd still be under Sayer's control… Akiza still couldn't believe, after three years, that Sayer was a mad man desiring nothing but power. She still felt incredibly foolish that she had let Sayer use her; and she had no idea that he was planning an unfortunate fate for her. Akiza did still feel sick to her stomach, which made her think that she should try to forget it all. She had a happy life now.

But that ominous feeling she had from earlier that day was still there, lingering in her heart. Akiza had no idea what it was trying to tell her, other than the fact that the girl she had befriended had to be treated with caution. And this feeling only became worse, as the next day passed.

It didn't help that her moods were constantly changing; since she was starting to lose sleep over this, she unintentionally started to take everything out on Yusei. Their recent argument was not something that Akiza ever planned to forget.

_She woke up from another nightmare; although this time, it was even worse. She remembered seeing blood; she remembered hearing screams of agony, but most of all, she remembered seeing herself in a mirror. Only when she took a glance of herself, she looked like a monster. Her skin was pale as a corpse, her eyes were empty and lifeless and her lips were pursed tightly together. It looked like she was frail and hopeless, but at the same time, Akiza had gotten an eerie feeling… It looked like she was going to lose control any second now and there was no way to stop it. _

_Yusei was not in this dream, thank goodness for that. It would have been more frightening to see that Yusei could be harmed, especially by her hand. Akiza would never forgive herself if she hurt the one man that she loved. _

_Akiza knew she was panting, as well as the fact she was sweating, as she sat up. She glanced toward the clock perching on the dresser that was beside their bed. It was 12:09 AM. Akiza sighed heavily, trying to ignore the way her heart pounded against her chest. _

_This had been the first time she hadn't slept peacefully in a while. _

"_Akiza, are you okay?" Yusei's voice whispered concernedly into her ear, as his arms immediately surrounded her in a protective embrace. Akiza leaned into it, feeling the warmth of his body and his gentle heartbeat; she enjoyed his presence and she knew she would feel better knowing that Yusei was there to look after her. _

"_Just a dream," Akiza said, sounding much more relaxed than she had before. But Yusei noticed her tone of voice also had a lace to it; something that he would never miss. _

"_Are you sure?" Yusei was so worried about her and it half tempted Akiza to tell him the truth. But the other half of her didn't want to stress him out. She knew that it wasn't really his problem, but he would help her through it – wouldn't he?_

"_It's nothing," Akiza insisted, as her hands grasped Yusei's cheekbones tenderly, gazing into his eyes. _

"_Your sign is glowing, Akiza. Even I know that something is bothering you." Yusei sure was perceptive… Not to mention that he had his own Psychic powers to help him out with it. _

"_I'm fine, Yusei." She couldn't believe the tone of voice that she had used with him; if she didn't know any better, she would have thought she had shown him a glimpse of the kind of person she was before: a sadistic monster. If Akiza didn't know any better, she would have thought that she was turning into that person. But for some unfathomable reason, of which Akiza had yet to figure out, she actually spat back a reply filled with so much animosity and hatred. _

What had been wrong with her? The moment she replied to Yusei, using that sickeningly, cruel voice, and the conversation had stopped. All in all, Yusei didn't say anything back to her; instead, he actually let her be… alone. That pain in her heart never stopped, as she basically spent the rest of the night thinking about what she did. And she had yet to apologise to him, but the moment she woke up in the morning, he was gone.

There couldn't be any possibility that Yusei had left because of her, right?

Akiza sighed. She did not want to over think things… But she knew that she had her appointment to go to. Throughout the three years since Sayer was gone from her life, it felt like he was never really truly gone. Even in her dreams, she still felt haunted by his presence. Most nights, in the first year anyway, she couldn't sleep without having a nightmare that revolved around him. Since it was pretty clear she couldn't get rid of these nightmares, she had to go see a therapist. But it wasn't as though Yusei had to know about that… all he had to know was that she was getting better. But lying to him was something that Akiza didn't want to do; she could only protect him from so much. There was so much of her past that she didn't reveal to him… and how would he feel, knowing that Akiza kept a lot of her personal life from him? Would he actually forgive her?

**:3 :3 :3**

Akiza had been in her thoughts far too long. As she told herself before, she shouldn't even dwell on these thoughts right now. She just had to focus on getting better.

"How are you feeling today?" Dr. Tor, a nice, generous therapist of whom Akiza felt comfortable enough on a professional level, asked her; her eyes shone with compassion, of course it would make her feel somewhat relaxed. The best thing about Dr. Tor was the fact that she was not judgmental. And of course she knew fully well of what her powers could do; after all, Dr. Tor specialized in helping psychics.

"I've had better days," Akiza admitted, knowing there would be no point lying to the wise doctor. As she sat down on a leather couch from across Dr. Tor's desk, her mind was once again scrambling for answers.

"I would have thought not, but we can't judge people on their appearances." _People tend to hide their emotions. _

Dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt that bared some of her shoulder, not to mention how Akiza couldn't control the monstrosity of her hairstyle that morning, would make people guess that Akiza was not having the best day. Especially since the look on her face consisted of paleness, not one of a geisha, but of a ghost, as well as worry and anxiety.

"How did you sleep last night?" Dr. Tor, looking all composed and serious, inquired, while pulling out a pen and a piece of paper.

"I couldn't sleep last night at all. I've... had a nightmare and I pushed Yusei away – and I really wish I didn't do that. I know that he cares about me… but what's even worse was that my mark was glowing," Akiza explained. Though she was close to shedding tears, she sounded as though she was more confident.

"How would you describe your nightmare?" Dr. Tor never seemed to lose the calculating expression on her face, as she continued to write on the paper. In fact, she merely pursed her lips, as though she were in deep thought about something.

"Honestly it wasn't the worst dream I ever had." _Liar…_

"Did it have to deal with your past?" Dr. Tor was the only other person that Akiza could actually trust with her dark secrets… Of course Akiza just knew that she would help her. Although the only reason she decided to tell her was that she wasn't going to judge her for being a monster. It felt nice to know that there was always another person that could accept her for who she was.

"Some of it did, but there was a lot more blood than in the other dreams." Akiza tried to sound unaffected, but she could hear her voice crack. It was one sign away from breaking down completely, as memories from her nightmare came rushing inside her mind.

"Have you been suffering from any hallucinations?" Akiza shook her head. If there was something that Akiza knew for certain, she was not insane… maybe she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder – which sounded a lot more reasonable than the former.

"No. It's just dreams." And if it were up to Akiza, everything that was going wrong in this life she had established for herself, she hoped that the worst she could get… was dreams. But even then she knew it was not going to be possible, as she had a very bad feeling something was going to happen. Worst of all, it was something that probably couldn't be stopped.

**:3 :3 :3**

Three agonizing long years. That was the time it took for his new plan to come into motion. But of course, it wasn't anyone's fault; mostly. The fact that it took that long to find the one person made it all worth it once they were found… There was only one reason why Sayer needed that person. Because as much as he wanted to take care of things himself, there was nothing better than good old fashioned revenge that _she _clearly possessed. Sayer was never one to read much, but the legend of the priestess, who happened to be the first line of the Doom Psychics, was worth looking up. She had power, from what he could tell. It was a hell of a lot more power than the amount Sayer had collected over the years from regular psychics.

The priestess was the real deal…

Of course Sayer might have arrived in South America way too late to actually find her remains, of which they could be resurrected, but that did not matter. As long as he knew where she was now (and let's face it, Sayer was clever enough to assume that the fallen priestess with a taste of revenge had taken over a civilian's body), Sayer wouldn't make a big deal about it.

_Do not forget the true purpose of your alliance… _

Sayer would never forget the real reasons for doing what he did, or what he planned to do.

All Psychics had to be gone from this world. Although, there may be some that could prove useful to Sayer. He knew that once upon a time, three years ago to be exact, he had one specific Psychic in his grasp; one that stood out from all of the others. It was true that she was just a pawn in his deadly game, but somewhere along the way, she meant much more to him. However, it was because of the interference of the Doom Psychic that she turned from him.

"You must be the one that they call Sayer," a feminine voice spoke clearly in the hotel room, without emotion. Sayer glanced up to see a young woman, with her hands on her hips; dressed in a sleeveless black dress that clung to her hips like a second skin, three inch high heels and a pair of black sunglasses. As the woman took off her sunglasses, her eyes gazed with such calculation and suspicion into Sayer's hazel hues and she pursed her lips.

"That's what they say. And you are…"

The woman scoffed, as she deliberately took a seat on the bed. "I think you know who I am. After all, I had been told that you were the one who tried to find me." It was Madura.

"Judging by your new appearance, I say that someone has beaten me to the punch," Sayer smirked.

"Yes, well, this body will not last for long," Madura deadpanned. "I will need sustenance." In other words, Madura was looking for a deal…

"Before I make any promises, I need you to do something for me."

"What is it that you want?"

"I need you to keep my good friend Akiza Izinski company, if you know what I mean." If the wench thought that Sayer was finished with her, she was wrong… as always. "If you do this for me, I will hunt down as many psychics as you desire to keep your form and I will find your descendant."

Madura did not seem too impressed with Sayer's plan. In fact, she did not change her facial expression. "What makes you believe that my descendant is important?"

"Because you need their blood to carry out your revenge."

**:3 :3 :3**

**I think it is pretty obvious Madura's going to accept Sayer's weird, questionable deal. **

**And unfortunately, things are going to be much worse for our dear Akiza and Yusei! :P**

**If you liked this chapter, please leave a review; I'd love to know what you think!**


	5. Trust

**Now we get to hear from Yusei's side of the story; enjoy you little eager beavers! ^_^**

**Malediction**

**Chapter 4: Trust**

He was just having an off day today; everybody could tell – it was that obvious. But even he knew that they wouldn't say anything; it's not that they don't care – it was just that there may be an off chance he'd freak out on them. But would Yusei ever blame his co-workers for fearing him and what he could do? No. It was just something that Yusei had to control and he was still learning.

It was difficult enough trying to keep his Psychic heritage a secret; only a select few people even knew who he really was. His sister Mayu, Akiza, Martha, Leo, Luna, Crow and Jack were the only people that had a right to know. He knew that they would accept him without question. But publically, no one knew. No one else in Neo Domino city knew. For three years Yusei kept it a secret and he still did.

Whenever he did have troubles with his powers, or whenever he felt like he couldn't handle being who he was, Akiza had always been there for him; he could always count on her to reveal his most inner secrets about how he really felt and she wouldn't judge him. He trusted her. But the thing was, did Akiza really trust him?

Yusei knew that there were some occasions when Akiza still couldn't accept herself for who she was. He could hear the disgusting comments she directed toward herself – when she assumed he wasn't even in the room to begin with. Yusei wished that she could stop the pretence of being perfect; nobody was. Yusei could tell that Akiza still acted as though she were in a dream and in real life, she was the person she was supposed to be.

And then there were the nightmares; Yusei did have some from time to time, but Akiza got the worst of them.

That was the problem; each and every time she dreamed of something, she kept it to herself. Never once did she ever confide in Yusei. Did she assume he would not understand her pain? Just as Yusei had done this morning, he planned to ignore it. But even then, at work, he still couldn't.

It had been three years.

"Yusei? Are you alright, man?" The man who asked him happened to be his co-worker Ichiru, who was pretty much the only guy that cared for his welfare.

"Yeah. I'm just a little bit tired." That was the same excuse he used each and every time Ichiru noticed something was up; he was pretty observant that way, for someone who was a blabbermouth and spent most of his time gossiping. As much as Ichiru was a pretty guy to talk to, he couldn't get his priorities straight sometimes. Especially when it came to working on their clients' cars.

"I get it; you have a special lady waiting for you, but don't get it on at the expense of your health." Ichiru was the first person to ever know about Akiza's and Yusei's heritage. If there was one thing that Ichiru could keep secret… it was their identities. How could Yusei forget about that? At least there was another person in Neo Domino that could accept them for who they were.

"C'mon, don't look at me like that. Perverted or not, I get the job done," Ichiru snickered, knowing that he shouldn't push Yusei's luck; sometimes, only sometimes, would Yusei actually throw an annoyed expression your way. But even then you couldn't get him 100% angry. Not unless you had an urge to threaten those he loved. "Now let's get back to fixing this lady's car."

Ichiru was pretty much the number one reason why their garage was earning the money it had been. He was the reason why numerous amounts of customers wanted their engines fixed (this could be interpreted both ways); Ichiru had charm – for someone who was nearing thirty years old. But the age didn't matter, according to his lady fans. He was like a God sent down to Earth as a gift; his hair was dark red, even darker than Akiza's. But what strike the women most were his gold eyes that normally reflect cheerfulness and flirtatiousness. Not to mention the fact that he had a hot body to die for. His words, not Yusei's. But in Yusei's opinion, Ichiru's most redeeming quality was that he was not judgmental.

"What's this? Yusei's got a cute lady friend?" One other mechanic decided to interrupt the conversation, gazing curiously in Yusei's direction. "What's her name?"

Yusei had only worked here for six months and he could pretty much tell that there were some mechanics that had a disgusting state of mind. Yusei had to fight every urge within him to seriously maim the guys who talked trash about women; these were the very sort of people that held no sort of respect for anyone. And to make things worse they pretty much make their living on it. But Ichiru was far from that sort of person.

"I bet her name is like… Christina. Something sexy at least."

"Yeah… I can just imagine someone like her with huge tits."

"But Yusei's lucky I guess; he gets to tap someone and motorboat the hell out of her cleavage. Although… does he even have it in him?"

Yusei tried his damndest to ignore the two other mechanics that started to talk dirtier. At any given time, Yusei would have been glad to get away from it all; the perverted sparkle in their eyes and their pretentious conversations in general. In other cases though, he had the urge to tear their spines out: some primal urge that Yusei had never felt before. Maybe it was a darker side to him; or rather, the darker side to him that never once came out… for three years.

But something about this encounter, something that he had put up for a very short time, was different.

His psychic alter ego – in other words, his own monster – wanted to be released. But Yusei could not afford to let it go free; he couldn't afford to let it wreak havoc and possibly kill other people. He didn't want that on his conscience. Besides – what would everyone else think of him?

"You guys, I would quit if I were you," Ichiru warned the two mechanics, putting an abrupt stop on their conversation. "I know he doesn't look like it most days, but Yusei has one hell of a temper."

"Sorry Yusei; didn't mean to insult your lady friend," one of the mechanics, whose name possibly didn't matter at this time, said. But even then, after he had apologized, Yusei didn't believe him. He couldn't even detect conviction in his eyes – which were shining perversion.

"As long as it's not that Black Rose Bitch, we're not going to judge you." The moment those words that had been linked with Akiza's past had been spilt, Yusei's eyes widened with rage. His hands were quickly crumpling into fists and there was no description that could tell you how angry he felt right then and now.

"Haven't heard much from her over the years. You think she'll strike again?"

"Of course she will, idiot. Once a monster, always a monster."

_**Kill them… **_A dark voice whispered in Yusei's mind, repeating its words over and over again until Yusei realized that it was his darker side. _**They are insulting your woman; they deserve what they get… **_

_No one deserves to die,_ Yusei argued, mentally, trying to find a way to calm himself down. He was almost reaching the point when he'd hit himself just to break the spell that was placed over him.

_**What if they kill your woman? What if she falls at the hands of those perverse pigs? **_His alter ego was trying to convince him into doing something that Yusei sure as hell wasn't comfortable doing.

Unfortunately for Yusei, his thoughts were stopped. And soon… he found himself in a deadly abyss… It could only mean one thing now; his dark side had taken over.

**:3 :3 :3**

What were her thoughts on therapy? Well, just the thought of having someone understanding the agony she was going through helped a lot. At first therapy seemed to be very trivial. She wasn't even comfortable enough in the beginning to reveal all of her darkest secrets. But that changed soon enough. What was the worst that could happen though? Akiza could have gotten a perverted hypochondriac as a therapist. Thank God she didn't.

She didn't know, at first, which secret was most difficult to reveal. Whether if it had been her parents' death at the hands of Sayer, or the fact that she was disowned because of her powers, or maybe that she had been a psychopathic rage monster who loved to inflict pain unto others. She had told the good doctor of all of these faults and she did expect her to judge her in some shape or form. But considering that she had experience dealing with these kinds of things, Akiza had nothing to fear.

All in all though, she was glad that she was getting help.

When Akiza got back to the apartment that she shared with Yusei, she noticed how all of the lights were still dark and there was no life that resided there beside her. Yusei was still out and there was no note or anything telling her when he'd be back.

She sighed, before turning on the lights. When Yusei did get back, she knew she would have to explain her behaviour to him. Properly. It wasn't until her therapist told her that she needed to have a little more trust in him; not to mention that communication is the key to making a relationship work. But Akiza did trust Yusei, but apparently it was not enough. Why was it never enough?

Akiza's thoughts were stopped at once, as the phone rang. Now was most likely the best time to occupy herself with something different. "Hello?" She answered.

"Akiza? Is that you?" The voice of Ichiru inquired, his tone of voice laced with relief and anxiety. Shivers ran down Akiza's spine as her heart rate immediately increased. She knew right then that something was wrong.

"What's happened?" Akiza demanded, pacing back and forth between the living room and the kitchen. She told herself to calm down, but it didn't seem to be working. All she could really think about at this point was whether or not Yusei was safe and sound.

"It's Yusei. He is out of control again." In other words… his dark side, that he tried to keep hidden from Akiza, had risen up to the surface. It meant that he couldn't control his powers; it meant that he could kill someone and not feel any regret. It meant that Yusei was not himself anymore… But what really terrified Akiza the most was that this hadn't happened in three years. So what did trigger his transformation?

Akiza couldn't help but imagine, in gruesome detail, what Yusei would look like right now. "Thanks for telling me, Ichiru. I'm on my way." Click.

The moment she hung up the phone, she collapsed unto the ground; tears ran down her cheeks and she started to sob. Any moment now she would berate herself for not taking better care of Yusei. If only she had watched him. If only she hadn't driven him to the point of freaking out. If only she could trust him enough to tell him her problems.

It was all her fault, once again.

**:3 :3 :3**

They deserved it. They deserved everything that came to them. What pleased him more was the fact that they had screamed in pain as their life force was draining away. What pleased him immensely was that they were losing too much blood; they were dying and no one could help them now.

It only took a quarter of his power to kill them; they were against the glass, cut, bruised and suffering. They couldn't move; these bastards couldn't move at all – and they were at his mercy. But it was not as though they deserved it.

These men paid the cost of their treachery with their lives; no longer would he have to hear them talking shit about his woman. Although if they had actually done something to her, their fates would have been much, much worse. He would have killed them in a completely different way instead of merely throwing them against the wall, hearing their spines shatter and ending up lying on the ground with shattered glass caught in their flesh.

Of course he did not kill the man behind him; he was no threat. However, even that could change – depending if he tried to get in his way.

The scent of blood permeated through the air and nothing but silence took hold of the warehouse.

"Yusei, you didn't have to kill them." What was this fool's name again? Ichiru? He could hear his footsteps progress slowly toward him.

Oh, but he did have to. The rush of anger flowing through his veins excited him; as well as the prospect of hearing their screams and the flash of fear in their eyes. It was worth it.

"They deserved to die."

"That is not up to you. It's not your choice." He raised an eyebrow in scepticism, as he turned around to face Ichiru: whose facial expression was serious, as well as annoyed. Did he dare patronize him? Did he wish to die along with those fools?

"I don't care if you're not in your right state of mind right now. Just think – what will Akiza think of you?"

"She will not know." A plethora of mixed emotions ran through his mind; some of it was fear, possibly because Akiza would think of him as a bloodthirsty monster and the other half was anger – he did not want her to fear him. He did not want her thinking that he was only doing this for his own sick pleasure. Everything that he ever did was for her.

**:3 :3 :3**

When she got there, she didn't know what to expect. She didn't expect to see several dead bodies; she didn't expect to see blood pouring out of them; she didn't expect to see Ichiru being the only one to survive. In other words, she didn't know that there was a massacre – the best term to describe the sight. Akiza honestly didn't know that this was the worst Yusei could have done; Ichiru didn't specify what had happened exactly. He only said that Yusei had lost control.

But in all honesty, Akiza was glad to have Ichiru as a friend; he was one other person she knew she could trust. He was one of those people that didn't judge her on what she had done. She had known him for half a year, only because Yusei had introduced her to him the moment she decided she wanted to visit Yusei at work. Although the two of them weren't that close, Akiza was happy to know that Ichiru could trust her too.

Akiza could barely hold back a sob, as she took a good look of what happened. There were two men lying on the floor, and judging from the amount of blood surrounding them, they were dead. Tears were starting to form in Akiza's eyes, as she walked closer and closer toward Yusei – who was unaware of her presence.

He was not his usual self; his eyes were filled with hatred… they were full of evil. They were not even the same shade as blue as they had been before. Not to mention his aura was cloaked with darkness – it was more onyx than his previous aura which had been indigo-blue. All Akiza wanted to know, desperately, was what happened.

"Yusei?" Akiza could only say his name, finding herself more than speechless, as her eyes searched Yusei's eyes for the truth. She was not only feeling confused, but she felt fear… something that she never once felt with Yusei. She never wanted to be afraid of him, but it was difficult when she found blood on his clothes, as well as his hands. Akiza could not even walk up to him; she found herself frozen to the ground.

"Akiza," He whispered her name and she couldn't tell whether or not he was feeling remorse for what he did. But it was highly unlikely when he was in this form.

"Ichiru, what happened?" She looked toward the man who had a furious expression written on his face.

"He killed them, Akiza," Ichiru answered simply, not taking his eyes away from Yusei – who glared back in response. "He killed them in cold blood."

_But he's not his usual self! _Was what she wanted to say, but she couldn't. "Why? What… did they ever do to him?"

It was at that point in time when Ichiru decided to look at his friend in the eye. "They were talking about you and it got on Yusei's nerves."

But that couldn't be the real reason why his dark side had taken him over. Yusei had heard fully well about what people thought about her and he ignored them. So Akiza couldn't believe what Ichiru said. At this point, Akiza knew she had to go and calm Yusei down. She could not let herself feel fear anymore while in his presence.

"Akiza, stay away from him." Ichiru was trying to protect her; Akiza knew that. In fact, she appreciated it, but if only he knew how much this was necessary.

"Let go of her." Four words coming straight from Yusei were enough for her, as well as Ichiru, to look his way. It wasn't until Akiza looked down did she notice Ichiru's hand gripping her arm. But it wasn't like he did it in a harmful way; it wasn't like he'd ever hurt her.

"Yusei…" She broke free of Ichiru's grip, before she ran straight toward Yusei. She never failed to notice the tears that ran down her face as she did so; and neither did Yusei, who widened his eyes surprisingly.

Before she knew it, she was wrapping her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. She didn't care that she'd get blood on her clothes. She didn't care if Ichiru was protesting. All she cared about was helping Yusei, whatever way she could. If only she knew the effect she had on other people.

And if only Akiza knew that her embrace was the one reason why Yusei's dark side seemed to be disappearing.

**:3 :3 :3**

**Thumbs up for a chapter that's three thousand words, people! ^_^**

**Anyway, I hope you guys somewhat enjoyed this chapter; the drama had to start somewhere, guys. So do you mind leaving a review? I'd love to know what you think! ;)**


	6. Cry

**Malediction**

**Chapter 5: Cry**

"Yusei… are you alright?" Four words; these words were the only words that could spill out of Akiza's lips. Her brain was still having difficulty registering and processing what had happened. Her mind was still focused on saving Yusei, of whom his dark side was dissipating – much to Akiza's immense relief. But still… she wished she could have done more to help him.

"Akiza," Yusei whispered, as his eyes shone with sadness, shame and regret; in fact, this look nearly killed Akiza altogether as tears started to form in her eyes. She hated it when he was sad. She hated it when he was frustrated. She hated it when he wasn't happy. At all.

"Let's go home," Akiza said, her voice trying to sound comforting, but came out sad and hopeless. She didn't want to be sad and hopeless. She knew she wanted to do everything in her power to help. But would it be enough?

This wasn't supposed to happen. At all. But maybe she had been fooling herself all along that they'd be living a fairy tale ending. Now she was pulled back into reality. The reality was, Yusei's darker side – his Doom Psychic alter ego – had killed a couple of people. Or maybe they were seriously harmed, she didn't know. But she could only pray that they were alive.

If they were dead, what would Akiza do?

"I just…" Akiza didn't blame him for being speechless, nor would she ever blame him for feeling guilty. But she would never allow him to feel sorry for himself in such a state. She just had to make him see that his happiness was what made her happy.

"Akiza, I just called the paramedics," Ichiru interrupted, as he jogged up to her with a serious, grim look on his face; and as he said this, he was directly staring at Yusei – as though he was giving him a message. Yusei knew that Ichiru was staring at him, but he avoided it; he couldn't deal to look at anyone right now…

"Okay. Now let's go home, Yusei."

Yusei never failed to see the saddened gleam in his girlfriend's eyes.

**:3 :3 :3**

The ride back to their apartment was silent and awkward. Well, awkward wasn't exactly the right term to describe it – it was more like uncomfortable. Akiza couldn't find the right words to ask Yusei what happened. She just couldn't. The fact that she was terrified explained everything. But not for the reason you'd think. She was truly afraid of losing Yusei; who was to say that he wouldn't lose control again?

So much for a happy ending she had always wanted.

She was foolish to think that she'd live the rest of her life being happy. Obviously there were going to be trials, but a trial like this… it was going to be hard to figure out. It was going to be a very hard obstacle to overcome. And yet Akiza believed that they were going get through this somehow.

Akiza knew she didn't feel as guilty as before that it 'was her fault' that Yusei lost control. There was nothing she could have done. She could not tell what the future had in store. She was psychic, not a fortune teller.

It took all of Akiza's might for her not to cry. But it did not stop her eyes from tearing up.

"Yusei, what happened?" What made him go out of control like that? What was the main reason his dark side had suddenly appeared? Truthfully, Akiza was afraid of what the answer might be. She didn't know what to expect and that terrified her.

"I just… I just snapped." At this point, Akiza could see tears slipping down Yusei's cheeks as his voice starts to crack. "I heard those guys talking about you and next thing I knew, they're laying on the floor." Akiza had never, ever heard Yusei cry. She had been around when he was upset, but this was not the same thing. And when she heard him cry, all she wanted to do was wrap her arms around him and never let him go. She knew how it felt like to hurt people, even though at the time she wasn't feeling that remorseful.

And before either of them knew it, they were back at their apartment. Akiza didn't want to say anything else before they headed back inside, so she stayed silent. She parked on the adjacent side of the street. And it was at that point when she could hear Yusei slam his fist against the dashboard.

The fear that Akiza felt in her heart before had tripled. Her eyes widened in shock, as she turned her head to face Yusei. His shoulders were trembling and his bangs were hiding the emotions on his face while his head looked down.

"Come on, Yusei. Let's get inside," Akiza whispered, as her hands carefully laid themselves on his shoulder. She didn't want to force him to do anything; she only wanted to be there for him.

"Okay." It was a start.

**:3 :3 :3**

The moment they entered their home, Yusei had frozen still in the kitchen; his hands had curled into fists and he still did not look any different from before. This was going to take some time, Akiza realized. She knew how he must have felt. It wasn't in his character to hurt other people – he was supposed to help them. Knowing that Yusei had hurt them instead of protecting them really scarred him.

"I'll go get a wash cloth," Akiza said softly, before she walked slowly to the bathroom. Yusei never answered her. He just stood there – looking lifeless and hopeless.

Time passed too quickly.

Ten minutes later, she started to clean Yusei's hands, which were stained with blood – as was his jacket. Akiza told herself multiple times not to cry. She couldn't start crying now. Not yet at least. Akiza was tempted to do just that in the bathroom just minutes before.

How could this even happen?

"Akiza, you don't have to do this," Yusei said, his voice hoarse but not emotionless. He sounded… in pain. It just made Akiza want to cry even more.

"I want to," she replied, trying to sound brave and strong. But at some point the tears in her eyes were going to fall and she'd start sobbing. "Because I love you."

"But you shouldn't. Not after…" Yusei trailed off, fearing the worst, as did Akiza. But she wasn't going to allow him to give up. She was going to make him see that she loved him!

Akiza placed the wash cloth, coloured with blood, on the counter before she tugged on Yusei's coat. "I love you Yusei. I love you because you're selfless, you're kind and compassionate. But don't go and think that you're a monster. You're not." It was like trying to convince her of that again… "Don't do this to yourself."

She was right about the tears coming. And even Yusei could see them. "Akiza… what if they died? What if I killed them?" Akiza shook her head; she refused to believe this. She refused to believe anything he said – it just was not Yusei!

"We'll figure this out. But don't go blaming yourself. I can't stand seeing you in that much pain." It really did hurt her to see him like this. Akiza quickly kissed him on the lips and she put everything she had into it.

"Thank you."

**:3 :3 :3**

It was three years ago all over again. The pain, self-inflicted hatred and isolation; only this time, Akiza wasn't the one feeling it. It was Yusei. It was scary, having to go through all of this again.

Akiza was not looking forward to the nightmares that Yusei would most likely have. That would be the most horrible thing that would ever happen to Yusei… she just couldn't do anything about that.

She couldn't put this off anymore and neither could Yusei. This had been the first time that they would have to deal with Yusei's psychic abilities. Akiza had to admit that she was stupid for not teaching Yusei the full extent of his powers. Maybe this was her punishment. Maybe this was what she deserved for not realizing it sooner. Everything was her fault now, wasn't it?

All of this crying was going to force her to sleep. Akiza wiped away whatever wetness she had left on her cheekbones, before she went back to embracing her boyfriend.

Their heartbeats weren't in synch with each other. Yusei, who had fallen asleep half an hour ago, had a strong, steady pace. Whereas Akiza's heartbeat was the opposite – it was fast and it pounded against her chest that Akiza thought it was going to burst.

Akiza placed a small but affectionate kiss on Yusei's cheek. She still couldn't see why he thought that he didn't deserve her. Didn't he remember what she did three years ago? She had mercilessly maimed hundreds of people – mainly because she was self-conscious about herself… She knew she had done more damage.

But this was worse. This time, there was no certainty whether or not those people were alive.

It was all a matter of time.

**:3 :3 :3**

What was Yusei supposed to do now? He shouldn't hate himself for what he had done, or what he almost did, he corrected himself. But he couldn't help it. He was that upset over what happened and everything had hit him full force. He was a monster. But he wasn't even in his right mind, right?

So should he hate his powers? After all, they were responsible for what happened to those men. But still… Yusei could have ignored them. Yusei could have walked away… yet he did not.

Akiza could have walked away from him, but she stayed by his side; both metaphorically and literally, he might add. Yusei took a few deep breaths in and out, as he hugged Akiza closer to her. He tried to sleep, but he couldn't; there were still things on his mind that needed to be addressed. Relaxing was also out of the question… Akiza was his only anchor.

Now he knew how she felt all those years ago. Now he knew what it felt like to inflict agony toward others.

"Yusei? Are you awake?" Yusei could feel her warm breath on his skin and it did send tingles down his spine. How was it that she was able to make him feel this way – even during this most terrible time? He knew how hard she was trying to make him feel better. He knew he should know better than to push her away. But… there was another conflicting thought.

What if Yusei had taken out his temper on Akiza? What if he actually managed to hurt her? Yusei would never forgive himself. It was that simple. He knew he shouldn't have to wait for that day though.

"Yeah. I couldn't sleep."

"Me neither." It looked like both of them had a lot to think about.

"I'm sorry." Since the incident, he always looked like a helpless child…and he always felt like one too.

"Everything's gonna be okay." Yusei believed her; deep down, in his heart, he knew that he should trust Akiza. He's always had his faith in her and she had faith in him too. "Don't think about anything else. We can deal with this together." It was alright for him to lean on her just as she had done with him. It was okay to cry. It was okay to break down. It was okay to let everything out.

Yusei could feel her lips pressed against his neck and he let out a sigh. She was right. She had always been right.

Yusei could feel her lips moving up towards his lips, giving him a passionate kiss; and he returned it without hesitation.

There was no way that Yusei could push her away from him; trying to make her understand that he was no good for her. But didn't she make the same argument before? Maybe she did… but it didn't matter anymore.

They had each other; whether or not if they were good for each other, they'd always be together.

**:3 :3 :3**

**I know it's been a month since I've updated. Trust me – I was stuck on this chapter. T_T**

**Mind leaving me a review? I'd love to know what you think!**


	7. Miracle

**Thanks for your reviews from last chapter guys! I really appreciate it!**

**WARNING: THE BEGINNING OF THIS CHAPTER DOES HAVE SOME LEMON; IF IT'S NOT YOUR CUP OF TEA, SKIP AHEAD TO THE '****:3 :3 :3****'**

**Malediction**

**Chapter 6: Miracle**

You could say what happened next was a miracle. For the past few days, Akiza tried everything possible to make Yusei happy, and she knew it was working. Somewhat. After telling him several times there was nothing he could do to change the past, he finally got the idea that he should just let it go for now. And when he made love to her last night, Akiza felt like she was truly convinced that Yusei was getting back to his normal self. Yet she shouldn't mistake all of it as a complete rejuvenation.

And it just so happened that the sun had to ruin everything. That morning, Akiza had to shield her eyes from the impending light and she muffled a groan into her pillow. She absolutely hated the sun sometimes.

"Good morning," Yusei whispered, his lips caressing Akiza's neck, causing her to gasp in surprise. Now that she knew he was awake…

"Morning." One arm was draped protectively over her waist, pulling her to his chest. She could feel his heartbeat and it half made her want to go back to sleep. "Have a good sleep?" Her breath was caught in her throat the moment she felt his hand creep underneath her shirt, intending to caress her skin.

"As long as you're with me," Yusei huskily replied, before going back to kissing her neck. Akiza loved feeling his warm lips on her skin; usually he left behind butterfly smooches on her throat and collarbone – more for her own benefit and not so he could hurt her.

And then she felt his hand gently grasp one of her breasts; while his hand stroked her bosom with adoration, his thumb slightly touched her nipple, causing Akiza to moan. "Someone just can't get enough of me," Akiza smirked, leaning back further into Yusei's chest.

She turned around to face a gloriously handsome Yusei, in his nudeness, giving her a wanton expression. How could Akiza ever reject such a man? She licked her dry lips in anticipation, waiting for the moment for her lips to clash against Yusei's.

There was never much hesitation to take things to the next level, but the exception was the first time they had sex, therefore, both of them were comfortable enough to do what they pleased.

And so, Yusei's lips firmly pressed themselves unto Akiza's supple, pink lips and the familiar sparks of pleasure and delight filled Akiza up to the core. She moaned, as she could feel his tongue prodding her lips open and in next to no time at all, the kiss itself was getting heated.

Just to make things even more fun, Akiza grinded her hips against Yusei's, which got a reaction from him pretty fast; he groaned into her mouth while he continued to kiss her with passion.

While his hands explored every inch of her back, hers entwined themselves into his messy locks, pulling him closer. It was at that point when Yusei had rolled on top of Akiza.

He pulled away from the kiss to gaze into her chestnut eyes – it was something he always did before he got around to making sweet love with her. The way Yusei looked at her made her die inside; he looked at her like she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life.

Yusei gently laid kisses down her neck and made his way to one of her breasts. Akiza mewled in delight as he began sucking on her nipple like he was a newborn. And when her fingers tightened her hold on his head, it was all the more reason for Yusei to suck harder…Her other breast didn't feel left out. Yusei's scorching hot mouth proceeded to suck and nip on her left one. To Yusei, she was intoxicating…

Akiza once again pushed her hips to meet Yusei's; she couldn't help but want him that badly. He was that addicting…

Yusei had proven he had the wonderful ability of multi-tasking. His fingers had played with her clit, and when he started to do so, she didn't know; she had been way too busy trying to stomach everything else that was going on. Her heart rate was soaring off the charts and she could feel the deepest pit of her stomach tighten and curl; she was that close to achieving her orgasm.

The moment she stopped feeling Yusei's hot tongue rub her salty and sweaty skin, she pulled Yusei up to kiss him feverishly and provocatively. He always made her feel this way. He always made her throb – and it was only him that she'd be willing to give up her whole life.

"Come on, Yusei; I really need you." She sounded a little bit impatient, but Yusei didn't mind. In fact, his lips curled up in a smile, before he proceeded to line himself up.

Yusei truly loved Akiza… he would do anything for her. When she looked at him in moments like this, he only saw love in her chocolate brown eyes. It made him extremely happy.

He thrust himself inside her – and he did it just the way he knew Akiza liked it. When he heard her cry out in ecstasy, it turned him on to the point he'd relish in tasting Akiza's skin once more. With his face buried in her neck and her lips crying out his name multiple times when he hit a certain pleasure spot, both Akiza and Yusei felt like they were going to heaven.

The coil inside Akiza's stomach was just about ready to release; and at this point, she knew that Yusei was coming close too. After all, she had demanded him to slam into her – because she liked it that way.

"Yusei," Akiza breathed out, as her eyes nearly rolled to the back of her head. Just a little bit more…

Needless to say, the neighbours would have raised a complaint toward the police; that is, if they had actually heard what was going on that morning.

**:3 :3 :3**

Akiza sighed; there was nothing better than a good old fashioned routine in the morning – especially when it involved both her and Yusei. And as much as she enjoyed it, it made her think for one brief moment that it wouldn't solve the problem at all. But there was no use in worrying about the incident a few days ago, since Ichiru never informed Akiza about the men's condition yet.

With that put aside, for now, Akiza continued to dry her hair. Luckily, it only took her about ten minute's tops to properly dry when using the hairdryer. As she glanced at her reflection, she could easily see some colouring forming on her neck. She blushed, knowing that it had been Yusei's fault she was inflicted with hickies. She'd have to put several layers of concealer on…

Over all though, a round with Yusei in bed AND a hot shower to relieve her sore muscles was just what Akiza needed. She felt like half the stress she had kept inside of her heart before had gone away permanently. It wasn't often that she had the chance to relax; after all, she was in college studying to be a doctor.

But Yusei deserved the opportunity to be at peace more than she did. She wasn't the one that had to go through a traumatizing experience just recently.

Akiza decided that her hair looked perfectly fine, so she turned off the hair dryer, unplugged it and placed it back in its box in the cupboard below the sink. She then proceeded to check up on Yusei, who went back to sleep. She always thought it was so adorable seeing him sleep; the look on his face was equivalent to a baby panda's.

As much as she wanted to stay here and watch him sleep (like that didn't sound creepy at all), she had some things she needed to do. Luckily, school didn't start again for another week, not that she knew the reason, but she wasn't complaining.

Her thoughts were put on hold the minute she heard the telephone ring from the kitchen. Akiza sighed, knowing it was probably for the best that she didn't think too much. It wasn't uncommon for her to experience brutally painful headaches.

Akiza quietly walked to the kitchen, but not before shutting the door to her bedroom that she shared with her boyfriend. She really didn't want to wake him up… Whenever Yusei didn't get enough sleep it always seemed like he had a different personality altogether.

"Hello?"

"Akiza?" Akiza's heartbeat sped up a little bit, as she recognized the voice on the phone as Ichiru's. There was no doubt he was calling about the guys in the hospital. Now the thing was: were they alive?

"Ichiru, what's happened?" Akiza tended to worry over everything – even if she had no reason to. Even if she was wrong in the end, it didn't stop her from feeling extremely anxious. This was no exception.

"The men in the hospital will be okay. But if I were Yusei, I'd be looking for another job right about now." Akiza sighed in relief. Yusei had not killed anyone. This thought repeated at least ten times inside of her head until she completely registered it.

But she shouldn't be too entirely about the fact that Yusei's currently unemployed. But hey – at least the guys were still alive, which was a huge relief; and it would do much to calm Yusei's conscience.

"Akiza? Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks for telling me, Ichiru. I actually thought for a second…" That things would have turned out to be much worse…that Yusei had to deal with blood on his hands, possibly for a very long time… But now, it seemed like things are taking a turn for the better.

"I didn't mean to worry you there."

"Yusei's going to be relieved. He… you know how he is."

"Before I go, could you tell him something for me?"

"What is it?"

"You know what, never mind. Next time I see him, I'll give him the message. Goodbye for now." The conversation, which was actually lacking substance, ended. Akiza blinked; that was certainly odd of Ichiru – normally, he'd leave a flirty joke, but this was the first time he didn't say anything. She shouldn't look into this. Just because Ichiru wasn't in character for one day of his life, it didn't mean something was going horribly wrong with the world.

"Akiza?" She turned around immediately to face her boyfriend of three years, who rubbed his eyes and slumped over to the kitchen table. Akiza noticed at once how he was only dressed in boxers and left little to the imagination.

"Hey," Akiza breathed out, smooching Yusei on the lips, before she asked him, "What are you doing up? Go back and get some sleep."

"Are you sure?" Yusei yawned, and then his hands rested on her shoulders. "I got the impression that you wanted to do some stuff today and I thought you'd like some company." Akiza smiled gratefully; another thing she liked about Yusei was how much of a gentleman he really was. She never thought she'd meet someone so nice.

"You don't have to." She had to go three things; first, the woman with the cryptic talk, which she had met randomly in one of her classes, had to be encountered. She had to find her, because let's face it; she had an awful feeling about her. There was no doubt that she knew what she was; she doubted that this woman wanted to actually befriend her. And it was at that point in time when Akiza knew she still hadn't told Yusei about her. But if the situation became a little more serious, then she knew she had no choice on what her next move will be.

Secondly, she was planning on visiting her parents' graves – it was usually a routine that she did with Yusei twice a month, but this time, she felt like going alone. Don't get her wrong, she did appreciate Yusei's company when they did go, but only so much could stop the amount of guilt that flooded her when thinking back on what happened years ago.

Thirdly, Akiza was going to plan to meet up with Namu, who happened to be their ally. Although at first, it seemed like Namu was working for Sayer in the old days, his personality changed completely when he had saved her life from the final battle with Sayer at his evil fortress of solitude. He actually seemed like a pretty cool guy, even though he was a little bit anti-social. Anyways, now that Namu knew who the real bad guy was, he made it his mission to find him – of course, it had been three years and nothing new had come up.

It'd have to take a miracle to find Sayer.

**:3 :3 :3**

**Not that long of a chapter, I know. T_T**


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